“This should not have happened if we respect the doctrine of the separation of powers strictly,” said Tan in a post on his Facebook page on Monday (May 21).

He said that Md Raus should have declined the invitation to the meeting that took place last Tuesday.

Tan added that he agreed with Dr Mahathir’s remarks that the three pillars of the country – the executive, legislature and judiciary – would be separated and that the rule of law would be restored.

He said he could not agree more with him on an issue he wrote extensively about, with the most recent being “Judicial independence is sacrosanct”, which was published on May 7 last year.

He added that campaigning for Pakatan Harapan, which was then the Opposition, may have made Dr Mahathir see how important it is to uphold the separation of powers and the independence of public institutions.

Tan said this is important as state machinery like the Election Commission, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), police and others could be abused and used so easily by incumbents to their advantage.

“Hence, the institutions must be rebuilt to prevent a repetition because there may never be another Dr Mahathir for a long time to come.

“If he succeeds, it will be the greatest legacy he will leave behind for many, many generations to come,” said Tan.